Book IV: It's Not Over
by Patrykowski der Jaeger
Summary: Final installment of the 4V series and sequel to "Lithium," Dustin and Hunter move toward a life of normalcy, wanting nothing more to start over. Book IV - Verbinden: to Bind, in the 4V Series: Verlieben, Vermissen, Vergehen, Verbinden.
1. Halo

_**It's Not Over, Chapter I**_

_Halo_

Like most days in Blue Bay Harbor, the sun gleamed brilliantly off the reflective windows of the surrounding banks and business offices of the downtown area. The stead zoom of cars and distant crashing of waves from ten miles away at the beach resounded like a symphony of well-practiced sounds, coalescing into every day Blue Bay Harbor life. Tori Hanson sighed as she checked her watch again.

He was late. Again.

Suddenly her phone chirped to life with his ringtone.

"Hey, where are you?"

"I'm closing up the shop now, I just had to finish inventory and then—oh shit!—and then I have to clean up a small oil spill…"

"Dustin, it's going on ten til' seven…do you want me to just get us a table?"

"Yeah, do that! I'll be there in seriously, like, 15 minutes tops!"

Tori rolled her eyes and sighed. "Okay, I'll see you then."

"Later, Tor."

She could swear she heard him curse again as she slid her phone shut, but she merely shook her head and shifted her van to "off." The squishing in her stomach seemed to drown out her thoughts for now, but she knew that eventually, they'd come parading right back in full blast.

The former blue ranger precociously made her way into the restaurant, reserving a table for two. Being a Friday evening, it was just a wee bit on the busy side, and she could hear boisterous laughter and giggling from the high schoolers who were glad to be on summer break. Being a teacher of sorts herself, Tori could feel their enthusiasm on a different level. No ninja classes for the next three months!

But even that thought couldn't comfort her. This talk with Dustin was going to be difficult to say the least. Ever since he and Hunter had pulled their publicity stunt, Tori had been plagued with questions about how they wound up together, how she didn't know, and whether or not she was simply a third wheel. She deserved to know, right? Sure, she had definitely moved on with Cam and the two had finally set their wedding date for August, but something in her longed for closure on the taboo topic of Dustin and Hunter.

Her phone beeped loudly three times and she slid it open to glance at the new text message. _New message from: Shane Clarke._

_"Hey Tor, let me know how things with Dustin go, I still wanna catch a movie with you two if things are cool after it's all done. Let me know."_

She slid her phone shut and huffed out air as she looked toward the window. He had ten minutes left, she noted.

The Water Ninja let her mind wander again as she recalled a summer long ago with Hunter: warm nights on the beach, cool drinks in hand, ocean air in her lungs. It felt like paradise, she remembered. She could easily grasp moments like that with Cam; he was more than she could have imagined. It hurt her to think of how many times she'd overlooked him and gone running to him about Blake or Hunter, or even some other random guy who happened to be having a "fuck-Tori-over" day. Why did he even bother to stick around after all that, anyway? That was a mystery wrapped in an enigma almost as complex as Dustin and Hunter. From what she had observed, the two were nearly perfect together. Sometimes she watched them with uncontrollable admiration, sampling their moments of happiness. The little she did know was that they were together while Hunter was away, which explained a huge part of Dustin's mental and emotional wall construction period; yet, she didn't quite understand how they were able to manage that. She and Blake couldn't even last more than a few months while he was on his factory tours. What was it that they had to keep them unbreakable? Even when Hunter wasn't there for the funeral of Dustin's mom, Lee, they were able to move on together.

The Hunter she initially knew was cold, reserved, sarcastic, brash, and prone to mood-swings. The Dustin she initially knew was warm, outgoing, ingenuous, helpful, and prone to forgetfulness or even vapidity. So how had Hunter become a caring, selfless, introspective, observant, and gentle man? And even more puzzling was how Dustin transformed through depression with an anti-social tendency and lack of emotion or enthusiasm, to the appropriately sober, intelligent, sensitive, yet responsible partner of Hunter? It was literally mindboggling. She knew Hunter had gone through extensive training while Dustin had gone through the most traumatic experience of his life, and that somewhere along in there, the two were able to alleviate the other's stress and hardships…but did that really explain the inarguable solidity of their relationship?

"Hey!"

Tori whipped her head up from her state of pensiveness and smiled at the speaker. Like he promised, Dustin was there within 15 minutes, looking like he was glowing like he normally did. But _why_ was he so damned happy all the time? Did he and Hunter never fight, or something?

"Hey, Dustin! It's about time you got here, I'm starving," she fronted.

The ex-yellow ranger slid into the booth and tossed open a menu. "I know what you mean. Lunch got cut short today cuz I had like four interviews for the manager position. Plus, egg-salad-sandwiches don't really taste that well if they're not cold."

Tori choked out a laugh. "You know, I think you're supposed to refrigerate those."

Dustin shrugged, "I meant to, but as soon as I walked in the door today I noticed Eric forgot to restock the moto-gloves and re-rack the shirts and stuff. I was like…swamped once I walked in."

"Well, good thing it's summer. No more classes!"

Dustin beamed, "I know! And Hunter told me some really great news today, too."

Tori didn't let her smile falter, though her heart did seem to do an odd little tango of sorts. "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah, he says Amino and Sensei have been talking about merging schools by sending different Sensei to the schools. That way the Thunder Academy has Wind Ninjas, and vice-verses!"  
"Versa."

"Right, that's what I said."

Tori smirked and hid her face behind he menu. "That's great news, though, Dustin! Does that mean Hunter's going to be able to start teaching again?"  
"Hopefully. The details are still kinda sketchy, but that's what we're aiming for."

"That'll be awesome."

Dustin nodded with enthusiasm as he flipped through the menu. "Dude, I could eat like, all of this."

"Someone must be making big money over at Storm Chargers, then," she joked.

Dustin tapped her on the head with his menu. "Hey now, you know I don't talk about that kinda stuff. Mom always said not to discuss finances, politics, or religion."

"Wow Dustin, I never knew you were so old fashioned."

That earned her a playful kick to the shin under the table.

The awkwardness she'd expected wasn't quite present, but she still felt the same sickening burning in her stomach as her questions kept bubbling over. She needed to start the discussion.

"So Dustin," she began after the waiter had served their salads, "I have a couple questions."

"I might have a couple answers," he responded through a forkful of lettuce.

She grinned. "I'm sure. No, I just was curious; like, with you and Hunter, I mean."

"Whatcha mean?"

"Well like…it was sort of out of leftfield and I guess I was just wondering…well…how?"

Dustin chuckled. Truth be told, he was not exactly prepared for Tori's question. Granted, he knew this moment would come sooner or later. All he could do was reflect back on that day so long ago where he'd gone to her house to talk with her and found her devastated in a pigsty of an apartment. He remembered laughing and joking with her while cleaning, then ordering food and watching movies all night. Silently, he wondered if he was going to have to say goodbye to any of that in the future.

"Well…I dunno, really. I guess it just sort of happened. We spend a lot of time around each other, and I think one night we were just really drunk…"

He could hardly form the lies that were sprouting from his lips, but he'd gotten used to lying when he was still on Lithium. That cold-hearted bitch numbed the enormous conscience he had and allowed him to do nearly anything without a second thought. Autonomy is what Hunter had called it.

Tori forced out a laugh. "Oh wow. When did that happen?"

"Uh…I'm not sure, really. I mean, we didn't just 'get together' right after that. It was more around the time right before he left to train."

Tori's insides quickly doused themselves. "Oh, really?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Well…I mean, you know; it woulda been kinda weird if we were like, sharing the same guy."

She laughed nervously and Dustin added in a bit of his own merriment. "Yeah, I know what you mean."

"So how'd you guys make it through _two years _of him being away? I mean, especially with all that was going on here? And why didn't you tell Shane and me sooner so we could've helped? We were all really worried about you."

Dustin shrugged. "I'm not really sure how we got through it. I'm not gonna lie and say it was easy or that I believed we could make it, because there were points where I was ready to just throw in the towel. I mean, even phone calls were sketchy as hell. I'd get them at like, five AM or something, but only like, once every five or six months. I knew I couldn't tell you guys without Hunter being here because if you guys decided you didn't want a gay friend, what was I gonna do? I didn't have Hunter, I lost my mom…I couldn't lose you guys, too."

"Yeah, but Dustin…when you shut us out like that, you basically did lose us. Ever since Hunter's been back, though, I feel like I finally have _Dustin _back. I know Shane feels the same way, and Cam sorta said the same thing."

"I guess it was accidental. I didn't want you guys to dig too deep, and talking about her to you, or Shane, or Cam would've just earned me your pity. But I don't mean that in a bad way, it's just that…that's the last thing you want after something like that happens."

"So you just bottled it up?"

"I had a counselor, actually. He's really cool. I still see him regularly just to make sure I'm doing okay."

She nodded, paused, took a swig of her cola, and then mowed away at her salad again.

"If it helps any, Tor, I did want to tell you guys. Every day. Just to talk about Hunter would've been like a blessing in disguise. But it wasn't only my secret to keep, and since I hardly ever talked to him, it's not like I could just magically get his permission. I wanted to tell you guys, but I needed to know everything was going to be alright first; I mean, if Hunter didn't come back, what was the point of telling you guys, you know?"

Tori nodded reluctantly. He made sense, oddly enough, but there was just something…something she couldn't put her finger on.

—Chapter I—

"So then I told her it just wasn't my place and that I couldn't be sure if it was worth it tell them yet since I didn't know when you'd be back; if ever."

Hunter frowned at the last part, but Dustin squeezed his hand.

"I know better now, dude, I'm just saying from back then. I didn't mean to doubt you."

Hunter gave Dustin his favorite lopsided grin and squeezed his hand back. "Good."

"So what do you wanna do tomorrow? I'm completely free until one, then I have to run by the store and make sure everything's in order. Maybe you can come with me?"

"Yeah, sure, that sounds good. I was thinking maybe after that we could go to the beach and get some lunch and just relax. It's the first day of summer."

Dustin huddled closer to Hunter in their bed and nodded. "I think that sounds like an amazing idea. But you know what sounds better?"

"Huh?"

"Sleeping."

Hunter chuckled and rolled his eyes. He forced out a sigh and rolled over a little to his usual sleeping position. "You are such a sleepyhead."

"Mhm." The earth ninja was falling asleep quickly.

"G'night, Dustin."

"Night, dude."

Hunter said goodnight, but he didn't immediately fall asleep. While he held his boyfriend of nearly three years in his arms, in _their _bed, in _their _apartment, _together_, he couldn't help but notice how everything had panned out. At that very moment, he felt more powerful than any ranger could ever imagine being, and more heavenly than any angel could dream. With Dustin so close to him that his body heat burned his skin in simple pleasure, he felt his chest expand like a massive balloon that could burst at any moment. This was what he'd waited two years for. This was what he fought against Lothor for. This was what made living worth while. This was right.

How things had changed so much so quickly still made his head spin slightly, because when he came back home to Blue Bay Harbor, he hardly received a welcoming party or the happy reception he expected. His boyfriend's mom was dead, he was on an anti-depressant mood stabilizer, his friends hardly recognized him, and that boyfriend he loved so much was almost like a walking copy of him—like it wasn't really him. It took weeks to break through. He could remember the first time Dustin laughed, the new lines formed in his face as he did so; Hunter could tell that the lines hadn't been creased in a while. He could remember the spark of life in his partner's eyes that struck to life like tiny embers warming up to an eventual tsunami of flames. But most of all, he could remember the clear chiming of Dustin's laugh echoing in the recesses of the crimson ninja's mind and soul.

The weeks that followed weren't so rough as things started to open up more. Dustin began to socialize again and slowly took himself off his medication with the help of his psychologist and having to fight off his pushy psychiatrist. The team thoroughly enjoyed being together again, and the more Hunter was around, the brighter he could see Dustin shining. It was hard to remember what he looked like when he wasn't glowing, Hunter realized. It was like there was a constant light shimmering over him, giving his once dark eyes a new vibrant tawny color that glistened in the sunlight like orbs of bronze. His skin shone more brilliantly, and the bags underlining his eyelids slowly faded to their natural complexion. Eventually his hair grew out more and he resembled the old Dustin, but…older somehow. Maybe it was his stature or attitude. There was just something that screamed "I'm new and improved."

"Why aren't you asleep, yet?"

Hunter flicked his eyes to Dustin, whose slurred words had startled him. Since the brown-haired male's face was pressed against his chest, his cheeks and lips prohibited him from speaking correctly. It was simple things like that Hunter treasured the most.

"I was just—"

"Thinking too much again? Yeah, I know, I can basically hear your brain scurrying around."

Hunter laughed, bouncing Dustin's head around on his chest. "You can not."

"Can too. We're like, linked or something. Now go to sleep before you make my head hurt."

Hunter fought the smile back that curled at his lips, then he craned his neck up to kiss Dustin's head.

"Fine, fine. Goodnight."

"I looooove yoooou," Dustin mocked in a sing-song voice.

"I love you too, weirdo."

"Hey!"


	2. Fall to Pieces

_**It's Not Over, Chapter II**_

_Fall to Pieces_

He rolled his eyes as he watched his boyfriend fold his arms in irritation. "I was only kidding."

Hunter ignored his brown haired companion, watching the scenery around him testily.

Dustin Brooks sighed, his shoulder slumping noticeably. "Fine, let's just go back home, then."

"I don't like it when you make jokes like that."

"I said I was sorry."

"I know that, but dude…you do this all the time. You always say you're sorry and that you won't do it anymore, and then you bring it up again. You know I don't feel good about having to leave."

Dustin watched a procession of cars speed by while he squinted into the late afternoon horizon. Hunter had a point and that was irrefutable, but Dustin still didn't see why he couldn't make passing jokes at something that had only made them stronger. What was it that Hunter seemed to either hide or be extremely perturbed by?

"I feel like you're almost _too _guilty of something," Dustin ventured. He added a laugh and continued, "I mean it's not like you found some other guy."

Hunter was silent as he kept his arms folded.

"Hunter?"

"Huh?"

"Did you even hear what I just said?"

"Let's just go home."

Dustin frowned as he jogged to catch up with his already retreated boyfriend.

"You didn't even respond. _Did _you meet some guy?"

"_No_. I didn't answer because that's a ridiculous question that doesn't deserve a response; now can we _please _just go?"

"Okay, okay, fine."

The two ex-rangers walked briskly but distanced from each other until they reached the car they'd taken to the beach. Their picnic had been ruined by a mob of high school boys who'd decided to play Frisbee right in front of them, and the aquarium they'd planned on going to closed early in recognition of the holiday weekend.

In silence, the ninjas found their vehicle, started it up, and drove back to their shared apartment. Neither spoke of that little topic either. Hunter had pushed Dustin to sell the apartment so they could just live at the Wind Academy, but the earth ninja had flat out refused.

"What if we need actual privacy?" he had asked.

Hunter would always roll his eyes and claim they did have privacy thanks to the extra thick walls of the academy.

"I'm saying like, if I just want to get _away _from work and come home and relax. When we're on the training grounds Tori, Shane, or Cam could come by at any time asking about lesson plans and what not."

And Hunter would say he was overreacting and that he needed to learn the word "no."

Dustin would argue back, saying that if they wanted to be out late, the ninja academy was off limits; gates closed at midnight now and anyone trying to enter afterward would be locked out.

"Then we'll just sleep in the car. It's plenty big enough," Hunter would remark.

Then Dustin would laugh and disagree. He would say "That's creepy and uncomfortable. And I can't lay next to you in the car."

And then mushiness would ensue and the topic would be forgotten. Temporarily.

The Crimson ninja's main problem was that he was concerned about Dustin's financial situation. Despite the closeness the two shared, Dustin refused to let Hunter see checkbooks, bills, account balances, or payroll stubs. It wasn't anything like the Dustin he knew.

"Oh, hey, I meant to tell you; Janie's flying down this weekend and wants to have dinner with us at Restaurant à Côte. You know, the French one by the shoreline."

"Oh, you mean the one that's like $60 per meal? Yeah, I know that place."

"Stop."

"Dustin, this is ridiculous."

"Hunter, really, just stop. I got this."

"Dustin, you own a Storm Chargers; you're not Donald Trump. You can't afford to eat $30 salads and buy brand new Land Rovers. Where is this money coming from and why the hell aren't you letting me know anything? I mean, it's like every day I find out some new little thing about you that I never knew. It's like while I was away you morphed into some completely different being, and then sometimes I see the old you. Every once in a while."

Dustin was silent until as they waited at a red light.

"I'm not eating anything until I know what's going on with the money."

"Hunter, I work at the Academy and own Storm Chargers. Don't you think that's plenty of money?"

"Not for a $2300 condo, a car that costs more than a yacht, and plane tickets for your sister."

"How do you know I'm paying?"

Hunter fixed him with a skeptical look.

"Look, just trust me, okay? Please?"

"Dustin, it's not that I don't trust you, it's just that…I'm worried. After hard times, people can sometimes go into manic episodes and—"

"I'm not manic. I'm fine. Even Dr. Berlin says I'm amazingly better."

"That's fine, Dustin, but he doesn't see you every day. And this limitless energy you have is—"

"So because I'm happy, there's something wrong with me? Am I supposed to just sit around and miss my mom all the time? Or have nightmares every night about her drowning? Is that what I'm supposed to do?"

A horn blared from behind Dustin as the light began to fade from green to yellow.

"That's not what I meant," said Hunter quietly, suddenly noticing how interesting his hands were.

"Then just drop it."

"Okay."

—Chapter II—

"You are _rippin it_, bro!"

Shane landed at the top of the ramp and took a deep breath, smiling broadly at Dustin. "Really, man?"

"Dude, you were sick!"

"I'm still trying to land a few things, but you think I'll be ready for the demo tomorrow?"

"You might wanna wear that nasty-ass pair of lucky socks you have."

"Hey! Those socks helped me win against Angel Grove in the soccer finals. Haven't been washed since."

"I hope those socks help you win against Athlete's Foot, too," Dustin guffawed.

Shane tossed his empty water bottle at his earth friend as he dismounted, walking up to him afterward.

"So what are you up to after this?"

"Ah, well, I gotta pick up Janie from the airport around 7 and I was gonna get lunch with Hunter, but he cancelled. You wanna grab some grub?"

"Awwwwwww, dude, am I gonna get to ride in the rover?"

"If you leave those socks behind."

Shane punched Dustin lightly in the arm.

As the two old friends buckled up in the car, Shane flicked through his phone. "So what do you think about Cam and Tori?"

"Huh?"

"Cam and Tori?"

"What about 'em?" Dustin asked, starting the ignition to his new car.

"Well, I'm just saying, how do you think it's working?"

"I think it's perfect. I mean, they'll be getting married soon and I just went and checked out the house they're buying yesterday. It's pretty sweet."

"It's just weird, ya know? Everyone's kinda…movin on."

"Aww, is wittew Shaney-waney lonely?"

"Nah, bro, it's not like that at all. It's just weird to hear people getting married already. Are we really that old?"

"26 in three months, for me," Dustin reminded him.

"Ahhh, that's so crazy, dude."

Dustin shrugged, switching through the radio stations.

"So…I don't mean to pry or anything, and if you don't wanna say, it's cool; but…I noticed you and Hunter seem kinda tense lately. Anything the matter?"

Dustin sighed. This was going to be the first time he opened up to anyone other than Dr. Berlin and Hunter. He wondered how interesting this could get.

"Well…yeah, for the most part. It's just, we keep bickering about little stuff. And then…some big stuff."

"Like what?"

"Well," Dustin began, flicking his blinker on, "my apartment is one of them. He thinks it's too expensive and doesn't want us to keep it. He thinks we should live at the academy."

"Dude, no way! Keep that thing. It's sweet as hell."

"That's what I know. But…Hunter's all weirded out by it because it costs so much. He actually got a realtor to price the property around where it is because I wouldn't tell him how much I paid a month."

"Why's he so upset about the money? You're not having trouble, are you?" Shane asked, reaching for his wallet.

"No, no, it's not like that at all, dude. It's just, he's irritated that I won't let him know how much money I have and how much I'm spending."

"Well I mean, I'd think the Storm Chargers pays well, and I know the Academy pays us tons. So why the commotion?"

"Well, even those two combined aren't really enough to afford this, my condo, and other stuff."

"…so where's it coming from?"

"My trust fund. I was talking to my mom a while back about working out financial stuff and she told me to use my trust fund. Mom's crazy good with numbers and stuff, so she did all this funky stuff with it so I get a ton of money like, every year because of the interest or something."

"I see…"

"I just don't want to tell Hunter, because I don't want him to make me feel like a douche bag for using my mom's money."

"It's your money, dude. And if he needs proof, he can talk to Lee himself."

"I know…but it's just such a hassle. And then he feels guilty because I'm always paying for stuff. But I mean, we both know Hunter has money; it's just that because he has to split it with Blake and because he was gone so long from the Thunder Academy, he has a considerable gap to fill."

"Yeah, exactly."

"I'm not really sure what his problem is, but I think it has something to do with him wanting to be the 'man' in the relationship."

Shane hooted hysterically. "I could _totally _see that, dude. Hunter is a definite Alpha Male."

"Yeah, don't remind me. Every time I hear that word, I think of you and him duking it out when we fought Bop-a-roo."

"Yeah, you've got one tough boyfriend."

Dustin smiled appreciatively at his red-clad friend. "Thanks, man. You know you're the first person to call him my boyfriend?"

"Really?"

"Yeah, Tori's still kinda awkward about it and Cam just acts like it's nothing out of the ordinary, which is good, I guess. But I'd still like _some _acknowledgement, you know?"

"Oh yeah, I know what you mean. Tori'll come around, though. She was really nervous that you and Hunter got together while she and him were still doing whatever they were doing."

Dustin became suddenly intent on the road. It was now or never. The weight of guilt was almost crushing his chest like a megaton implanted in his sternum. He took a deep breath, remembered that Shane was his best friend, and asked; "Can I tell you something? Something you can't tell _anybody_?"

Shane furrowed his eyebrows. "Yeah, dude, of course."

"Hunter and I were together _before _he was with Tori."

Shane was quiet. "Really?"

"Not officially. It just happened one day after we went riding at the track. It started raining really bad and we went back to his place to shower and stuff. We got into a wet-clothes fight and…stuff just happened. A month or so later, I found out about him and Tori."

"Damn, dude. So…Tori doesn't know?"

"I don't know how to tell her. I mean, technically I wasn't in the wrong, and it's not like I could tell her without outing Hunter."

"Yeah, that's true. But I mean, you guys were basically screwing the same guy."

Dustin chuckled heavily. "Yeah, you could say that."

"Dude, you know what this means?"

Dustin cocked an eyebrow.

"You and Tori have technically had sex!"

Dustin blinked a few times before bursting into uncontrollable laughter with his friend. Life was good, he noted. He had missed being close to Shane, and he missed Tori just as much. He could only hope that things with her would get better, as Shane had confidently stated.

—Chapter II—

"Jeeze, Dusty Bunny, look at you! You're a stud!" Janie laughed, slapping his bare chest.

Dustin rolled his eyes as he tossed his t-shirt on the towels he, Hunter, and Janie had set out. He squinted into the ocean where Hunter was diving in and out of the water, almost ignoring the Brooks siblings.

"Something wrong?"

"Not really…Hunter's just…in a mood."

His older sister rolled her sky blue eyes, so reminiscent of her mother's, and pulled her hair back into a ponytail.

"Men and their moods."

"Hah, more like women and their moods."

Janie affectionately kicked sand up at her brother as she took off toward the welcoming waters of the pacific. "Last one in buys dinner!"

"Like I'm not already!" Dustin hollered after her.

The older Bradley brother flipped his sopping blond hair back as he rubbed his face clean of the salt water. His boyfriend's sister and he weren't too far away now, and Hunter tried to chide himself into a better mood, but his inner brooder wouldn't let go.

He casually swam over to the two and jumped on Dustin's back, feeling the earth ninja's new muscles ripple beneath him.

"Go under!" the blond jokingly demanded.

Dustin fought back, tickling Hunter's sides, "You—first!"

The two splashed simultaneously into the clear water, playfully chasing each other underwater. Hunter laughed—as best he could underwater—as he just barely evaded Dustin's grasp. Like an agile fish, the thunder ninja stayed ahead of his mate, taunting him childishly. Hunter was pretty good at pretending to be happy, he supposed.

He finally surfaced and allowed Dustin to jump onto his torso, wrapping his legs around his waist. "Gotcha now, sparks."

"And what do you plan to do now that you got me?"

Dustin leaned in close, their noses almost touching, before he quickly licked the unsuspecting male's face and darted off into the waters.

Hunter stood, dumbfounded, as he watched his boyfriend of years swim away while chortling richly.

"You guys are _so _weird," Janie groaned, rolling her eyes as she splashed her brother.

As the three headed back to the shore, Hunter dried himself off and excused himself, claiming to grab a water bottle from the car.

"Grab me one, too, will ya?" Janie asked, applying suntan lotion to her arms.

The retreating man gave a wave of acknowledgment as he left the siblings.

Water wasn't really on his agenda, but Dustin's checkbook was. He knew it was wrong to snoop, and he knew it was dishonest and deceitful, but he had to know. If Dustin was putting himself into massive debt, it had to come to an end soon, before he hurt himself.

He slipped into the car, careful not to get his wet trunks on the seat, and searched around the for small black leather book. Not in the glove compartment, not between the front seats, not under the seats, not in the visors, not in the—.

"Water bottles are in the trunk."

Hunter spun around, knocking his head on the roof of the car.

"Oh, I was looking for my cell phone."

"It's with the towels," Dustin said solemnly.

"Ah, I couldn't find it before I left."

"My checkbook is in my jeans, Hunter."

"What?" he laughed incredulously. "What are you talking about?"

"The little black leather book you were looking for? It's in my jeans."

"I wasn't looking for your checkbook."

"Your cheeks are turning red."

"Fuck."

"Hunter, if it really bothers you that much, I can just show you. I just didn't really think it would be _this _bad; to where you'd go behind my back to snoop through my stuff."

"I just…don't like it when you keep secrets from me."

"I'm not keeping secrets from you, Hunter. They're my finances. I don't talk about them with anyone, even Janie."

"I know but—"

"There's no buts about it, dude. There are some things that are mine, and some things that are yours. Only married freaks share everything."

"So let's get married."

Dustin laughed.

"I'm serious."

"What?"

"Let's get married."

"You're crazy."

"About you."

"Shut up."

"Seriously, let's just do it."

"Dude, it's not even legal here, and what about—"

"It's not legal _here_, but we could fly back with Janie to Baltimore, get married there, and then come back here. California recognizes all marriages."

"Hunter, if this is about my checkbook, I'll just show you."

"It's about more than that, Dustin. Ever since I came back I feel like I'm still getting to know you and that one day, I'll find out you don't want me anymore or something. And…I know we say it won't happen, and maybe marriage isn't the best solution for a fear of all things temporary but…I love you. And we love each other. Isn't that what marriage is about?"

Dustin scratched the back of his head, a look of hopelessness on his face.

"I dunno, dude. I'm…I'm still not out to my dad, yet, and…I have to watch out for the reputation of the store, and…and Tori and Cam are getting married soon, too. I don't wanna steal their thunder."

Hunter looked mildly dejected. "So you're saying no?"

"What?"

"I just proposed to you, and you're saying no?"

"You did not just propose to me."

"I said let's get married. Sounds like a proposal to me."

"But-but, you don't even have a ring. And you're still standing, and you haven't even thought this through yet, and—"

Suddenly Hunter was kneeling. He picked up a long blade of grass, tied it in a loop, then grabbed Dustin's limp hand.

"Waldo Dustin Brooks, will you marry me?"

"Hunter, get up."

"Give me an answer."

"Hunter, _please_."

"All I need is an answer and I'll stand up like a regular person."

"_Yes_," Dustin hissed, pulling at Hunter's arm to stand him up.

"What? I couldn't hear you."

"I…" he paused, "I _said _'yes.'"

"One more time?"

"YES!"

"Hunter sprang up, jumping up and locking himself around Dustin's torso like the younger male had just done in the ocean.

"I'M MARRYING THIS GUY!" Hunter shouted to the stragglers wandering toward the beach.

"Hunter, shut up!" Dustin laughed, teetering slightly from the shifting weight.

"Make me."

Dustin rolled his eyes, but before he could speak, the usually dark and reclusive Hunter had planted a full blown kiss on his lips. He finally unwrapped his legs and stood next to his new fiancé.

"That wasn't so hard, now was it?"

"What's not so hard?" Dustin asked, a look of pure mischief on his usually innocent face.

"You're _bad_, dude."

From across the parking lot, a blond haired woman watched helplessly as she felt the pit of bubbling rage rise once more inside her like a monstrous volcano. They had a problem.


	3. Two Is Better Than One

_**It's Not Over, Chapter III**_

_Two is Better than One_

Hunter stirred uncomfortably, the cold spot where his left arm extended still unfamiliar and strange to him. Slowly he opened his eyes and tried to focus his blurry eyesight. They were still sore, he could tell, and his head throbbed relentlessly. Hangover. He numbly fumbled for his cell phone on his nightstand, accidentally knocking the empty bottle of Absolut vodka to the ground where it cracked on the side of his bed. He cringed at the sound of shattering glass as he felt around again for his phone.

His hand grasped the cool device and he pulled it over to him as he sat curled up in his seemingly oversized bed, dialing his second speed dial. Three rings. Four rings. Five rings.

"Hello?" came the groggy voice on the other side.

"He's still gone."

The man on the other side sighed deeply as he obviously cleared his face and gathered his wits. "Hunter, it's 4 am."

"I know, I know…but…I don't know what to do, Blake." He listened to his words slur slightly, but disregarded his still drunken state.

"Have you been drinking?"

Hunter was quiet as he held the phone to the ear that wasn't pressed against a pillow.

Blake groaned again. "I'm coming over."

"No."

"Shut up, Hunter. I'm coming over. Unlock your door."

The line went dead with a faint click and Hunter filled himself with guilt. Silently, he stumbled to the door of his large apartment—what used to be their apartment—and slid the deadbolt open. He unlocked the main door and made his way to the dimly lit kitchen in an attempt to clean up the empty vodka bottles next to his collection of just as empty whiskey and scotch bottles. A slight sting shot up his arm as he noticed the piece of broken glass in the palm of his right hand. He glared at it, wincing in pain as he did so, and removed the small piece of bottling that had somehow ended up on his kitchen counter.

Minutes later, he had washed his hand clean of the blood and alcohol, and he headed to his bedroom, observing the destruction. A few belongings that weren't there still haunted his bedroom—what used to be their bedroom—in random corners, and the same sweatshirt he loved so much was stained and crumpled into a ball next to his pillow. If he tried really hard, he could still smell his lover's scent on it. Faintly, but there nonetheless.

It seemed like just yesterday that things were perfect. They were engaged. They had rings. They had a date. They had their planner. They had their suits. They had their flowers. They had their cake.

And then lightning struck, appropriately enough. Tori had been less than pleased about the engagement, though she pretended otherwise. She and Dustin argued viciously, unable to reach a compromise, while Hunter and Cam merely intervened whenever possible. Then Tori got her wish.

Jacob Brooks, the father of Hunter's husband-to-be and only living parent, got his invitation personally from his son. Dustin had walked into the all-too-familiar house, sat down on the comfy chair, and proceeded to talk with his dad, never mentioning the fancily embroidered envelope. Finally, Jacob had asked, "What's that?"

"Well, that's what I wanted to tell you," Hunter's fiancé had responded. "I…I've been seeing someone for a while. And this person means a lot to me—more than I could probably explain. And I really feel like I'm supposed to spend the rest of my life with this person; there's no doubt in my mind about it."

"Is she cute?" Jacob had interrupted, a small smile on his worn features.

"Uh…well…yeah…but…that's the thing."

"What's the thing?"

"It's…it's not exactly a she."

Hunter's only love said the silence seemed to last longer than his whole lifespan. He said he watched in horror as his father's face turned from expectant, to confused, to disbelieving, to frustrated, to angry.

"Dustin, a boy?"

"Yeah…" he had said back meekly.

"You can't."

"Dad, it's not like that you think."

"It's exactly what I think! Son…Dustin…you're…you're just confused. You shouldn't have gone off the meds so soon…"

"No, dad, I'm not confused! Look, I know it's weird, and I know I probably should have told you sooner to let you adjust to it. But…after everything happened with mom, you looked like you were finally doing better. I…I didn't want to ruin that."

"Then don't! Dustin, it's not too late. Just…just take some time to figure things out. This…this _boy _has things all twisted in your mind. Tell him what happened to mom, and tell him you're just going through some stuff that you need to get sorted out first!"

"Dad, no. I'm not confused. I've been with him for years now. Since before mom passed."

Jacob's face was said to have paled instantly, like his insides had just been set ablaze by a hellfire unrivaled by any flame on earth.

"You _what_?"

"Dad…I love him."

"No! Dustin, _no_! If you—if you do this to this family, you're not coming back. We've been through too much to break apart from your little experimentations!"

"Dad!"

"What? That's what they are! Every boy goes through the thoughts, it's normal; but we don't _act _on them. I raised you the best I could, there is no way you're…you know…not straight. Those people have issues with their father figu—"

"Just stop! Just stop, dad, okay? It's not you. It's not mom. It has nothing to do with meds or my childhood. It's just…it's me."

The silence returned, Hunter had heard, and the two males of the Brooks family stared each other down for minutes on end. Then, in a tone so lethally poisonous, Mr. Brooks had said, "If you go off with him, do not come back here."

"I want you to be there, dad."

"For what? So I can see you go and throw away a perfectly good future? What is your sister going to say? You're just going to leave the responsibility of carrying on our name to her?"

"Janie already knows."

"Well fuck! Does anyone tell me anything these days? What, is she a lesbian now, too?"

"Dad, just stop!"

"No! I'm…I'm not going to stand for this. Now, I sit back and let you run around and do whatever with whoever, and I don't ask what your other job is because God only _knows _what it could be now…" Dustin frowned in confused disgust at his father as he continued on, "but…damn it, Dustin, this is too far. You didn't do girly things as a kid, you played sports and read comic books, and you watched Transformers and got dirty. You're not a homosexual."

The former yellow ranger then shook his head in skepticism. "I can't believe this."

"Believe it. Waldo Dustin, if you walk out that door and you marry that boy, I'll be as dead to you as your mother. And think about that, would you? What would she _think_? God, Dustin, if she wasn't already dead, this would be enough to kill her."

"NO!" Dustin had finally shouted, the foundation of the house trembling in fear at the sudden rage he felt. "Don't you _dare _bring mom into this! She would support me in any and everything; in fact, she already _knew_. She loves Hunter and—"

"Hunter? You're marrying Hunter?"

Dustin, in a fit of anger, had thrown his dad the envelope that clearly read "The union of Dustin Brooks and Hunter Bradley…"

"I'm marrying him, no matter what you say. I can't keep going around doing what makes everyone else happy. I already have one dead parent, I don't need another; but I'm sure with a little help, I'll deal with that too." And he'd stood up bravely and glared at his father. "Bye, dad."

Hunter now snapped out of his reverie as his brother walked in looking thoroughly annoyed and worried.

"What the fuck are you doing drinking at 4 am, Hunter?"

"I-I wasn't drinking just now."

"What's this?" Blake asked, holding up a glass that was fresh with the condensation of ice and cold liquid inside. Had Hunter really absentmindedly poured himself another drink?

"I…I…don't know…"

Blake immediately dumped the drink angrily. "This has gotta stop, bro. Now."

"It's the only thing that helps."

"Helps? Are you serious? Look at yourself, Hunter! You're a goddamn wreck! You think this is what Dustin would want? You think he would want you to drink yourself away so that he could have another person he loves die?"

Hunter was speechless, the rage behind Blake's eyes more apparent than the black in his hair. "I don't know what else to do."

Blake mollified some at the state of his broken brother who was now sobbing uncontrollably in the midst of his sheets. His skin was hot as fire to the touch as Blake rubbed his back, letting him spill his tears. The younger male glanced past his brother to the piece of clothing near his head: an old hoodie of Dustin's that Hunter had bought while in the mountains of Michigan. It was a Wolverine's collector's item that was a medium yellow color with wolverine paws on the right shoulder, a large "M" on the left shoulder, and big, navy blue letters across the front that read "University of Michigan." It had been Dustin's favorite ever since he got it. Blake could remember seeing it nearly everyday, despite the warm weather of Blue Bay Harbor, California.

No one had expected things to play out the way they had, Blake remembered. He'd talked to Tori multiple times, even after she found out Dustin and Hunter _had _been seeing each other while she and Hunter were supposed to have been drawing close to an official relationship. She still had old scars, the navy ninja could tell, but most seemed healed. She was drawing near the point of surrender in her battle with Dustin when the male had decided to invite his father. After that, the dominoes of disaster began their descent. Dustin became more fragile, breaking under the pressure of losing his dad in an even worse way than he had with his mother. His instability caused fight after fight for the seemingly perfect couple until it appeared that neither Hunter, nor Dustin, still wanted this marriage.

Then the fight happened. It started like all of their fights, with Dustin having turned a slightly cold shoulder to Hunter. When the usually antisocial Hunter would inquire about it, letting his mate know it hurt, they would bicker. Dustin would tell him to stop freaking out, Hunter would tell him to open up to him, and Dustin would lash out. For hours on end, they would assess the problems in their relationship. They would make promises to fix them. They would laugh after the fight. They would pretend everything was perfect. But neither believed it was. And finally, it broke, and Dustin simply said, "I need my dad, Hunter. I can't lose him."

And he left. He quit the academy, he opened a Storm Chargers store in Turtle Cove and gave ownership of the Blue Bay Harbor location to an excellent coworker, and wasn't heard from. And strong, resilient, invincible Hunter fell apart piece by piece, his heart shattered. He had given everything he knew how to give to protect what they had. He had overcome his own emotional barriers, the onslaught of a scorned Tori, the alien nature of being a confirmed homosexual, and had financially invested everything he owned to give his intended husband and himself a comfortable life. And just like that, in less than a month, it was all gone.

Months and weeks passed as they faded into October, and as the month came to a close, it seemed Hunter was crashing even more. Now Blake knew he had to help his brother.

"Look, bro, I know there's nothing I can say or do to make this better. I…I have no idea how you're feeling, but this isn't the way."

"I don't understand how he could just leave, Blake." He sniffed and rubbed at his eyes. "After everything we've been through."

"He has no one else, Hunter. He has you, his sister, and his dad. He loves you with everything, Hunter, but…he just didn't really have a choice. You know that."

"No I don't! I mean, am I selfish to say _I _am a choice? I love him! Doesn't that give me some kind of fucking credit?"

"Hunter, I can't explain to you why Dustin made the decision he did. Sometimes you gotta just…let go."

Hunter was quiet for a moment or two before he looked up. "Blake…I can't just let him go."

"Then what are you gonna do? Because in all honesty, killing yourself isn't going to help. You're one of the most powerful ninjas on the planet and you're drinking yourself into oblivion? That's a great story: Hunter Bradley killed by alcohol, not evil space ninjas."

"Well what do you want me to do? Fight him into coming back?"

A mischievous glint appeared in Blake's dark eyes as he said, "Something like that."

Hunter looked genuinely confused.

"You fight _for _him. And if I know you like I know I do, you're Hunter Bradley: you don't fight to lose."

—Chapter III—

"Thanks so much, dude, enjoy the weather!"

The customer nodded, wished the same, and took his bag with him out the door.

Dustin Brooks hummed as he made his way to the back to grab a new roll of quarters when he heard the bell for the front door chime again. He turned on his heel and walked back to the front of the store to help the new customer out.

"Lookin for anything in particular, dude?"

The honey color locks of the girl in front of him swayed as she turned around and flipped a few loose strands from her face. "Yeah, a runaway best friend."

"Tori?"

"You didn't think you could skip out on my wedding after the World War III, IV, and V we had, did you?"

Dustin chuckled lightly. "Ah…well, I wasn't trying to avoid you guys…I just…needed time, I guess."

Tori aimlessly walked toward the surfboards as Dustin followed her. "So you left Hunter all alone?"

"I didn't have a choice, Tor. My dad…"

"Hunter's in the hospital, Dustin."

He blinked several times, his mouth gone inexplicably dry. "Wh-wha-how?"

"He's been miserable since you left," she said, turning around to fix him with her infamous crystalline blue eyes. Her look pierced through his need to separate himself from Hunter as she pressed on. "He drank himself insane. Blake went over there the other night because Hunter called him—again—at 4 am. They talked, he seemed fine. And then the next day he passed out."

"Is he okay?"

"He's plugged up to some IVs now and they had to pump his stomach, but they're probably going to send him to detox."

"Hunter doesn't need that."

"I know. He needs you."

"Why do you care all the sudden?"

"I always _cared_, Dustin. You're my best friend. It was just…it was hard. I loved Hunter, too, and seeing you two together was a constant reminder of why I placed last."

"You didn't place last."

"I placed second: first loser."

"Tor…"

"I didn't come here to talk about me," she said, her voice going firm. "I came here because this is stupid. You're miserable, he's miserable, and everyone far and between is miserable because of it. I know how important your dad's approval is to you, Dustin; but you have to understand Hunter loves you too—maybe even more than your dad since he's obviously not willing to let you go, no matter what you do.

"You can pull that 'he's my only parent' shit with Cam and the others, but I'm not stupid. You have your mom more than any of the others have their passed parents. I know your mom does _not _think this is a good idea, either. So stop pretending you're being this brave soldier by voyaging off to the middle of nowhere without keeping in touch with anyone."

"Tori, you can't just come in here and run my life and tell me what all my mistakes are," Dustin said lowly, the irritation visible on his face. "I know what I'm doing probably isn't the best for anyone else, or even myself, but I have to help my dad. I'm the only thing _he _has other than Janie, and it's my responsibility to carry on our name."

"Carry on your name? Dustin, this isn't 1870; wake up! You're throwing away your whole future with Hunter for what? So your dad can be 'content' with you being a wreck? You're never going to be straight, you're never going to marry a girl, and you're never going to have children, and that's what he really wants. You're not going to be able to make him happy that way, so why waste your time by making yourself depressed?"

As if on cue, customers began to line up at the register. "I gotta go."

He turned his back on her to tend to his customers, hoping this would be the end of his past life.

"Will you at least come to my wedding? It's October 25th," she said, handing him an invitation.

He grinned. "I remember the day, Tori, we argued about it for months." He swiped a card and asked, "Debit or Credit?"

"So you'll come?"

He entered the information and bagged the elderly woman's gift for her son and said to Tori, "I can't."

"Why not?"

"Hunter will be there."

"Then don't sit next to him."

He handed the woman her bag and said, "I can't."

The tone of finality in his voice rang throughout the store. "I'm sorry, Tor."

She smiled thinly and laid the invite on his counter. "Me too."

—Chapter III—

"Okay, so everyone's here?" Marah asked, taking another look at the list in front of her.  
"Everyone except Dustin," Kapri said quietly as she stood on her toes to scope through the crowd.

"Okay, well I'm going to see how Tori's doing; will you make sure all the ranger guests stay _away _from the alcohol? We don't want any drunken ranger stories."

Kapri rolled her eyes. "Yeah, sure, why don't I just go make sure Sensei stays away from the sweets too, huh?"

"Oh, would you? I told Cam we'd try to save some snacks for everyone."

Kapri sighed as she left her sister's side to carry out her tasks. Ignoring her, brunette Marah made her way to the bride's room and laid eyes on Tori in her pearly white dress, the cyan markings matching perfectly with the jewels laced in her up-done hair. "You – look – awesome!"

"Thanks!" Tori smiled, hugging and kissing Marah's cheek. "Is everything okay outside?"

"Oh yeah, Blake and Hunter just showed up with Sensei Amino, and a few of your high school friends walked in a few minutes ago."

"Thanks, Marah," Tori said sincerely. "Is Dustin here yet?"

The brunette girl bit her lip anxiously, "No."

Tori frowned then shook her head. "Okay, whatever. Happy! Right? If he's not here, it's his prerogative. We're going to have fun regardless!"

"Exactly," said Marah as she poured Tori a premarital drink. "What? It's for the nerves!"

Only minutes later were they all stationed at their respective positions. As Tori glided down the aisle, she couldn't help but feel the pit of anxiety in her stomach fade away to nothing. This was the moment she'd been waiting for. She smiled at her supporters and family, and her friends and teammates. Dustin was not to be seen, but a very odd looking—though smiling—Hunter could be seen next to Blake in a black and crimson tux.

Tori sighed inwardly as she reached the altar. She'd expected him to show, or at least RSVP. But he'd done neither. Just before the ceremonial speech began, the large white door near the back of the room opened ever so slightly. Tori highly doubted anyone but ninjas would note the intrusion. Immediately she was on guard…until she saw familiar brown hair and a vest color only one person she knew would wear. Yellow.

She had to keep herself from calling out to him, but she did smile hugely at him before turning to be wed. He showed.

—Chapter III—

"I'm so glad you came," Tori said quietly as she spoke with Dustin on the balcony.

"I couldn't let you down because of things with Hunter," he replied evenly.

"Did you see him?"

"No."

"That's probably for the best, then," she sighed.

"Why? What's wrong with him?"

"I mean, he's alive, still intact. It's just that…he's so different—at least than the way he was when he was with you. That's the happiest I've ever seen him, Dustin."

He nodded absently.

"I know there's nothing I can say to make you rethink your decision, but just know that this kind of thing coming from me is weird. I wouldn't support you two unless I really believed it was right and that it would work. I know how much he cares about you, and…I think you feel the same way. No one should stand in the way of that, Dustin," she said gently.

They were quiet for a few moments before she stepped up on her toes, kissed him on the cheek, and headed back inside. Dustin watched her form retreat to the room of guests where he knew all his friends were.

"Dustin?"

Dustin spun toward the speaker of his name, the voice resounding like a far off memory. Standing there in a black tux complimented perfectly with a crimson vest, crimson tie, and perfectly brushed and polished blond hair, was Hunter.


	4. Never Say Never

_**It's Not Over, Chapter IV**_

_Never Say Never_

"Hi," he replied softly, the breath taken from his body.

Hunter inhaled shakily, his fingers twitching nervously into a fist before unclenching to unsteady hands. After all this time, here was Dustin, standing there looking more perfect than ever. His short brown hair helped frame his bone structure and magnetized every onlooker straight to his reflective amber eyes, and his golden skin seemed darker in the brilliance of the sunset behind him. Beyond the canopy of the forest behind Dustin, Hunter could see the splashes of orange, red, yellow, and pale blue, mixing like anxious swirls all trying to escape the shadow of night. On the inside, Hunter felt the same swirls of anxiety converging, bubbling up inside him like some volcano of emotion.

"You…you came."

"I had to be here for Tori's wedding."

Hunter inwardly flinched at Dustin's use of the word. It had been so long since he'd even heard Dustin's voice, let alone heard him say the word "wedding." Seeing him dressed in wedding attire certainly didn't help, that was for sure.

"I should…get going," Dustin said lowly, putting his hands in his pocket as he prepared to go.

"I miss you," Hunter interrupted, stopping Dustin in his tracks.

"I know," the other male replied, ready to exit.

"So you're just going to leave? Just like that?"

Dustin could hear the ache in his ex's voice, and it clawed at him like a talon of guilt.

"I have to be at my dad's for dinner tonight."

"I would think you'd put him before me enough times already," Hunter snapped. "Can't you at least talk to me?"

"What do you want me to say?" Dustin demanded, spinning around to face Hunter, though he was at least 30 feet away.

"Try 'I'm sorry!' That usually works for a starter. Or maybe tell me why the hell you just up and left without telling anyone anything."

"You want me to apologize for putting my family first? How selfish can you be?"

"How are you putting your family first? You'll never make them happy. You're _not _what he wants you to be, and at this rate, you never will be!" the blond shouted. "You still feel the exact same thing for me that I feel for you, exactly like we did two, three, four, or five months ago. So why are you trying to fight it?"

Dustin was silent. Hunter was always the better fighter, even with words, and the small amount of defenses Dustin had tried to prepare crumbled like paper walls. Self-righteousness was never his forte anyway.

"Because I have to," Dustin replied, his voice barely above a whisper. "Please don't make this harder than it has to be."

He moved to leave again, but Hunter was right behind him, his ninja speed allowing him to grab Dustin by the arm and turn him around.

"I will _not _let you go twice." A tense silence arrived momentarily as Hunter searched his former lover's eyes. "I love you."

As if by command, the passion they felt for one another burst forth, pushing them together in a sudden kiss. The longing and sorrow that filled them before was temporarily extinguished as they allowed the sparks between them to burn away all the pain.

They broke a few minutes later, each of them looking at the other as if enlightened.

"You know that I love you," Dustin responded, "So, I…love you enough…to let you go."

Hunter's heart sank in the depths of despair once more, his hope shattered and swept away like a long-lost whispered word. Slowly, he felt the tear ducts in his face flex. He knew what was coming.

"Don't do this, Dustin," Hunter whispered. "Don't let me go. Not again."

"I'm sorry," the shorter male said as he pulled away, their fingers slipping apart.

Hunter blinked back the wet substance behind his eyelids, Dustin suddenly becoming a blurry figure who was fading away into the distance of the wedding hall. His strength all but gone, he allowed the saline fluid to flush his face as he crumpled to the ground. From inside, he could hear the cheeriness he'd always imagined hearing at his own wedding.

—Chapter IV—

Dustin made his way through the wedding crowd, his head held uncharacteristically low. All he needed to do was find Tori and get out. He could give his best wishes, wave hello to some of her family members or his former best friends, and then he could go.

"I can't believe you're still around," Tori said softly from behind him.

He turned around to look at her, all elegant in her wedding gown and up-done shimmering blond hair.

"Yeah…I almost can't either," he said with a faint grin. "I just wanted to come say bye."

"What? You just got here!"

"I know…but I have to be at my dad's for dinner tonight."

She frowned. "Can't you at least stay for a few dances? Dinner won't be until eight at your house, and it's barely six. Stay. Please?"

He sighed. "Tor…you _know _why I can't stay."

"No," she said firmly, "I don't."

"Because I can't hurt Hunter like that. Just seeing me is probably worse than any laser beam being shot at him."

"And I'm supposed to believe you're just fine?"

"Agh…Tori…"

"Seriously, Dustin; this is stupid. Can't you just, you know, not tell your dad?"

He rolled his eyes. "I have to go."

"Fine," Tori conceded, though her anger was clearly audible in her tone.

He hugged her lightly and turned on his heel, only to be faced with an extremely angry looking moto-jock and former Navy Thunder Ninja.

"Oh, no," he hardly whispered.

"Oh, yes," Blake retorted hotly, grabbing Dustin's arm and leading him outside.

"Blake, I really don't have time for this, I have to—"

Dustin flew to the ground after his jaw was furiously impacted by Blake's right hand fist. His hearing was somewhat fuzzy, but he could easily make out the words of Hunter's younger brother.

"What you _have _to do is stop being a dick, Dustin! What has Hunter ever done to you to deserve this?"

Dustin, as he pushed himself off the cool pavement of the cathedral's steps, yelled back: "Besides try to kill me on _two _different counts, lie to me about his ninja training, and ask me to ditch my family?"

Blake moved to punch Dustin again, but stopped short. "You can't just throw the past in his face forever, dude. You don't know _what's _been going on the past few months, and it's taken its toll on all of us! Even Sensei's worried! I don't get why you can't see how stupid you're being. I mean, this is worse than that time you 'really thought Marah was good.' Do you _ever _use your brain?"

"Apparently not, otherwise I wouldn't have come here."

"Right, well, maybe Hunter's the stupid one for ever getting involved with you."

"**Take that back!**"Dustin growled under his breath.

"Don't pretend to care now, Dustin, when you didn't even have the common decency to show my brother any mercy before you left."

With a primal cry of rage, Dustin lunged at the navy ninja, smashing him into the ground. Just seconds after Dustin had flattened Blake, half the wedding party was outside staring in confusion. It was Tori's enraged cry that froze the two men where they were.

"What the **hell** do you two think you're doing on _my _wedding day?

Blake was the first to rise, tugging on his tux angrily. "Sorry, Tor…he just…"

"I just what? You're the one who went in there dead-set on dragging me out to have a little 'heart-to-heart.'"

"Would you both just stop?"

The two looked up to see Hunter at the top of the stairs, his jacket slung over his shoulder and his hair now its causal messy style.

"Bro, I was just…"

"It's fine. I'm fine. Just…let it go."

Dustin—his face throbbing, heart searing, and eyes teary—stood up, brushed himself off, and set off in a steady gait to his car.

"You're just gonna let him go again?" Blake demanded of his brother.

"There's nothing I can do."

"**Bullshit**! You—are—Hunter—Bradley! You're not just gonna sit there and lose over and over for absolutely nothing!"

By now, most of the wedding was outside staring, the bride simply staring after Dustin in disbelief.

"Just go talk to him," Tori encouraged finally.

Hunter sighed. "Fine."

He re-entered the cathedral, changed his clothes, and headed out before leaping on his motorcycle. "When this all falls apart, I'm gonna be calling _you_ to come cheer me up; got that?"

Tori rolled her eyes. "Just go."

Cam shook his head as he put his hand on her shoulder. "And I thought girls were dramatic. Looks like the gays got it."

Tori lightly slapped his chest. "I take offense to that."

—Chapter IV—

Dustin slowly pulled his car into the driveway, sighing heavily as he did so. He glanced in the rearview mirror at the large red mark spreading over his jawbone, and let his head fall back into the headrest of his chair. He hardly noticed the tears trickling down his face until he sniffed, half-startling himself in the process. When he opened his eyes, he could see Janie making her way out of the garage with a knowing look on her face, her eyes full of empathy.

"How'd it go?"

He reached for her pack of cigarettes and took one with a shaky hand. She didn't hesitate to light it for him, and she was patient as he let the nicotine affect his body.

"What the fuck am I doing, Janie?" he finally asked, his voice still raw from the tears.

"Dustin…I admire what you're doing," she said apprehensively, "but…you're killing yourself."

He smirked bitterly as he inhaled again and flicked his cigarette. "Ironic," he spat, "Hunter's doing the same."

"So, fuck dad!" Janie yelled angrily. "He's gonna be pissed no matter what you do. You've known that all along."

"Yeah, but you guys are all I've got," Dustin argued as he fiddled with his cigarette, rolling it between his index and middle fingers.

"Dustin, you have so many other people who love you—especially Hunter. Make a new family and stop trying to cling to the past. If he's smart, dad will get over it; you and I are all _he's _got, too."

The earth ninja had never thought of it that way. As he sat in the wake of Janie's words, autonomously inhaling and flicking the nicotinic drug, he couldn't think of any solid reason to stay. A grumbling snapped him from his thoughts as a motorcycle pulled in behind his SUV. Dustin hardly had to check his side mirrors to know Hunter had followed him.

Janie took her queue and briskly headed inside, but not before giving Dustin's leg a reassuring squeeze.

Opening his door and taking his last drag, Dustin stood and tossed his cigarette butt into the yard, facing Hunter.

"Dustin, look," Hunter began, "I know you think your family's all you've got; and maybe you're right in putting them first. But, maybe you're not giving me enough credit—maybe you're not letting me even try to fight for you. All I know is that I deserve a chance—after everything we've been through, I think I've earned that much."

Dustin was mulling over in his head everything he'd heard in the past 24 hours—hell, the past 4—and he realized nothing was going to change if he didn't take action. Sitting passively was no longer an option.

"I know you say you've let me go, but—"

Soft lips that had been absent a lover's kiss for too long took Hunter's in a familiar and welcoming way, and the thunder ninja responded heatedly as he grasped to Dustin for dear life.

When the two of them parted, letting their baited breath loose from their seared lips, Dustin silently uttered to his partner—his fiancé—one simple sentence: "I'll never let you go again."


	5. It's Not Over

_**It's Not Over, Chapter V**_

_It's Not Over_

"No, no, no, I don't think you heard me; I said _no _flowers!"

The woman opened her mouth again to reply to the witty comment, but she heard the line go dead.

She looked to her right where her husband was standing with a smoldering cup of coffee in hand. "It sounded like you could use this."

Tori beamed at her new husband Cam as she set her cell phone down. "I'm beginning to think you really did have Cyber Cam create a telepathy device."

He chuckled to himself as he looked over their balcony with her, enjoying the sea breeze. "Nah, who needs one of those when I've got ears."

Tori slapped his arm playfully, sipping her coffee. "This wedding planning thing is even more stressful than ours was."

"I think it usually works that way. After all, you're planning for someone else, so it's a lot easier to get stressed out."

Tori was silent, because she knew her husband's explanation was not quite finished.

As expected, he sighed and continued. "Not to mention the fact that they just popped up with 'by the way, we're getting married again.'"

Smiling, Tori rubbed Cam's back. "Relax; you sound more on edge than I am. What's the matter, huh?"

Cam looked torn. Tori was his wife. He could tell her, right?

"If I tell you something…you have to promise not to tell anyone."

Suddenly, Tori's face was somber. "Okay."

"When…when Dustin was gone," Cam started slowly, "Hunter came to the school looking like hell—and I knew I couldn't let him work like that!—so I took him inside to talk to him."

Tori was fixing him with worried eyes, urging him on in every way possible without actually verbalizing herself. It was far more difficult than she anticipated.

"Well…he sort of…told me something."

"What'd he say?"

"Well…there was this…guy, apparently—some guy named Justin? Hunter met him a few years back when he was training somewhere in Michigan, and so Hunter went and visited him to get away."

"So?" Tori asked naively.

"He kissed the guy," Cam said flatly.

Tori blinked, looking back out at the ocean and then back at Cam's extremely worried face. Then she burst out laughing.

"What?" Cam half-shouted. "It's not funny!"

"Cam," Tori said when her laughter had subsided, "it's a kiss. And they were separate. And clearly, this thing with Justin didn't last, or I'm sure Hunter would have stayed in Michigan."

"Yeah, but…you don't think he'll be tempted to go back? What if he cheats on Dustin?"

"Pft, please. Hunter's been through way too much to get Dustin back just to do something stupid that would cause him to lose Dustin forever. And besides," she pressed on, "Dustin was the only guy Hunter had ever been with. He was probably just exploring his options and didn't like what he found."

Cam had to admit, he was infinitely surprised by the wisdom his wife possessed.

"Our baby is going to rule the world of babies with superior intellect and skill," Cam said as he hugged her tightly from behind and rubbed her small stomach lovingly.

_**[It All Seemed to Make Sense]**_

"Oh, dude, no fair!"

"Nope! I'm winning!"

"Dude, you're so cheating!"

"Tell it to the trophy—hey! You can't do that!"

"Show me the rule book!"

Small clicking sounds filled the large living room as the group of four males groaned, grunted, laughed, and bantered.

"Oh, come on!" Shane cried as he was blasted off the edge. "That was totally babysitting."

"It's not babysitting if you're on the edge," Hunter said in a snarky tone.

"Yeah, but you know I only have a limited jump range!"

Dustin chuckled to himself as he attacked Blake's character, who was flapping his wings to try to escape the fist of Dustin's lithe, androgynous player.

Seconds later, the sound of a mild explosion illuminated the screen of the TV, signaling the death of Hunter's character—attacked by Dustin's character.

"I thought you were going after Blake!" the former crimson ninja complained as he plopped his controller down on the couch.

"Sneak attack," Dustin shot back happily, "I'm like a ninja."

"Pft, yeah, a she-male ninja," Blake retorted.

"This she-male's gonna kick your ass."

So the angelic character wielding swords attempted to cleave at Dustin's ninja-based character. Suddenly, the ninja was gone and replaced by a thin, serene looking princess. Her serenity vanished as she backhanded Blake's angel into the side of the screen, the game switching to slow motion to signal the end of the match.

"What the hell?" Blake groaned. "That little elf-tramp should not have an attack that strong."

Dustin guffawed. "I told you, I own at this game."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Blake playfully replied as he stood. He glanced at Shane who was now picking a new character. "You wanna go grab that food from the restaurant? It's been a good 15 minutes."

After he picked his character, he let out a delayed response; "Yeah, sure."

Dustin and Hunter watched in slight amusement as Blake took the controller from Shane and set it down. "Like…now?"

"Oh, yeah," the air ninja said, snapping back to reality. "We'll be back!"

As the two exited the now spotless apartment of their friends, Dustin and Hunter looked at each other with the same looks of amusement they'd had before.

In his head, Dustin could feel himself beaming brightly at the way his life had magically fallen back together. It had taken a while, surely, but by the time June had rolled around, he was officially free of Turtle Cove and back to Blue Bay Harbor. It hadn't been _easy_, especially the few times he'd seen his father in public. The man would nod, at least acknowledging Dustin's presence, but he would not engage in conversation. He would not pretend to be Dustin's _dad_. But it had been worth it, most definitely; he and Hunter were re-engaged, their wedding set for March 4th, and they'd finally occupied a house just a few minutes away from Cam and Tori. Storm Chargers finally went corporate, with Dustin selling his franchise for a hefty sum and being added to Kelly's team of advisors. Everything—nearly every aspect of his life—was perfect: His incredible _sober _fiancé, his amazingly supportive (and forgiving) future brother-in-law, his unwavering teammates, and his not-so-fucked up family. What more could he want?

All his thoughts, rapid and crystal clear, finally faded and Dustin brought himself back to the present, still staring at Hunter's grinning visage.

As if waiting for a queue, Dustin broached the topic. "Is there something going on between them?"

Hunter frowned. "Uh, no."

"I dunno, dude, they've been awful chummy lately."

"Shane and Blake have always gotten along."

Dustin snickered to himself as he stood, heading to the kitchen for a refill on his iced tea. "I'm just saying, dude…it reminds me of…well…us."

Hunter looked confused. "What do you mean? How so?"

"Well…I wanted delivery. Chien's Palace is like, a twenty minute drive. Why would Blake wanna waste that much gas?"

Now Hunter _was_ genuinely confused. "You think they're like…secretly hooking up?"

Dustin shrugged, taking a swig of his drink. "I dunno, I could just be seeing things, but it reminds me of how you and me used to do stuff like that."

A few moments of silence passed as Hunter reflected. "God…that was so long ago."

"I know, right? Back in the days of our youth."

"Hey, what are you talkin' about? I'm still youthful."

"Sure."

With a devilish Grin, Hunter stood up and faced his renewed-fiancé. "Name one thing I could do then that I can't do now?"

Dustin looked over the rim of his glass at Hunter.

"We've got a good 40 minutes. That _might _be enough time," Hunter said arrogantly.

Dustin blushed a deep shade of magenta, but returned the teasing nonetheless. "Are you planning a triple follow-up or something? Cuz even then, I think we'd have enough time to play a couple rounds of Smash afterwards."

Offended, Hunter made a face that was part-surprise-part-smirk that left Dustin temporarily speechless. How he'd missed this so. He could hardly remember how he'd managed to live without Hunter for so long.

But there was no more talk, only the faint sound of defiance in the slight grunt Hunter had given as a response as he took his partner's mouth with his own. Against the counter, the earth ninja's arms stabled him for support as he pushed back against his tall, blond, soon-to-be husband.

Hunter took Dustin by the wrists, his kiss intensifying, as he pulled the man's hands away from the counter and pushed him back onto it. Releasing his arms, Hunter's hands found their way to Dustin's hips where they massaged them intensely, Hunter pulling their bodies closer as he slipped between Dustin's denim-covered thighs.

The intensity of the moment escaped instantly as they heard the door push open and Blake's voice.

"I forgot my—oh!"

"Blake!"

"Dude!"

"Sorry!"

"Knock much?"

Blake, who was much too embarrassed to pay attention to the sounds of Dustin and Hunter's voices berating him, turned to the side with his hand over his brow. "It was open!"

"Still!" Hunter growled out, fiddling with his belt.

"I…uh…just forgot my phone," Blake muttered abashedly.

He stumbled through the living room and grabbed the white device, then uttered and apology and disappeared through the door quickly.

Dustin laughed. "I think I found something you used to be able to do that you can't do anymore."

Hunter looked at him.

"You sure as hell can't jump away as fast as you used to."

Hunter glared.

_**[I Try to See the Good in Life]**_

Dustin was holding on for dear life as Tori clutched his hand savagely. Her face was bright red, her hair was clicked back with sweat, her eyes were clenched tight in pain, and her mouth was eliciting a string of angry cries. For once, Dustin was infinitely glad he'd never have to worry about a wife being in labor, because poor Cam's face was as white as Tori's sheets. Good thing Dustin was there.

Tori's mother was also in the room, giving her daughter the most fiery encouragement he'd ever seen. She was a loud, excitable woman with hair that matched her daughters and a feel-good aura that was almost inescapable. But today, she was as furious looking as her daughter, intent on seeing her through the voyage of child birth.

"Oh, my GOOOOOOOOD!" Tori roared.

"You're doing great, Tor!" Dustin enthused, squeezing her hand back aggressively. She had previously instructed him to squeeze so hard that her hand would break—it helped to take her mind of the pain, apparently. But even that was hardly working.

"Oh, he's crowning!" the doctor cried happily as she inspected the baby's arrival. "He is a big one, huh?"

"WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU TELLING?" Tori growled outrageously as her mother backed her up.

"Let it out, Tori, baby; it'll be worth it, just keep going!"

Dustin was mildly afraid, but nowhere to the extent of Cam, who was giving input at random.

"Mr. Watanabe, your son's coming into the world; you might want to get over here," the male doctor instructed Cam.

The Samurai took a deep breath and Dustin patted him on the back for good measure.

But Cam's face went from terrified to astonished as he watched the miracle at work. The look in his eye brought a sharp pain to Dustin's own heart as he felt it swell in pride, hope, love, and a slight twinge of animosity.

"Tori, you're doing amazingly," he said calmly as he took her hand from Dustin.

Minutes slipped by until finally, the screaming was over. Tori's own cries faded into her baby son's, who let forth a hearty announcement to the world; he had arrived.

"Here's your little fighter," the head doctor said as she handed him to Tori with an approving smile. "He got a little tied up in the umbilical cord but he's fine now."

Tori was hardly paying attention to the doctor as she coddled the infant. He was nine pounds, 13-ounces and a whopping 22-inches long. No wonder Tori had brought forth the wrath of hell on this especially hot July 13th.

"What's his name?" Dustin asked Cam.

Tori and Cam replied unanimously. "Mikah."

Dustin smiled.

"It's after my mom," Cam explained further.

"What's his middle name?" Dustin asked.

"Zephyr," Tori answered.

"Like wind," Tori smiled.

_** [Can We Make This Something Good?]**_

"Dude, I hate that shirt," Hunter fussed as he did the series of buttons on his jeans.

"Well, I hate those jeans," Dustin returned playfully. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to get you out of them?"

Hunter raised an eyebrow, to which Dustin chuckled.

"Not like that, although they're even more of a pain in the ass in that case." Hunter laughed and Dustin continued. "But no, that time you got _shitfaced _at Tori's for your going away party and I had to bathe you? Dude, it took forever."

Hunter was all out laughing now. "Okay, okay; but my jeans actually look good. Your shirt looks like some four-year old got a hold of a yellow highlighter and went berserk."

Dustin glanced down at his shirt in dismay. "It is kind of old."

"Dude, let's go shopping, then!"

Dustin gave his fiancé a skeptical look. "You hate shopping."

"Eh, it can't be that bad—not if I'm with you," he said sincerely, kissing Dustin's forehead. "Besides, I need to get a new pair of shoes for this thing."

Dustin gaped in disbelief. "Alright, that's it; I'm staging an intervention. You are _obsessed _with shoes!"

Hunter looked offended. "What?"

"Yeah, you totally are, dude. Look at our _closet_!"

Hunter looked past the brunet at the rows of shoes lining the walk-in.

"It's a good thing we're moving soon, cuz sooner or later, those shoes are going to kick me out."

Hunter fixed Dustin with a dubious look. "Not funny."

"I'll replace the shirt, but you are _not _getting another pair of shoes."

"But dude!"

"Hunter."

"Come ooooooooooooooooon."

"No."

"Please?" he asked.

"Are you serious?"

"I'll bribe you."

"Yeah, right."

In complete and total seriousness, Hunter began to tackily unbutton his jeans in a slow fashion before Dustin pushed him away with a huge grin.

"You're ridiculous."

"Come on, Dusty. I for real will only get one pair, and then I won't buy anymore until _after _the wedding."

"Really, now?"

"Scouts honor."

"That means nothing from you, dude," Dustin smiled, tugging on Hunter's necklace.

"Fine, fine; I _promise_."

"Swear it on _me_."

Hunter's face fidgeted as he looked away. "Come on."

"Swear it."

It was the little moments like these that reminded Dustin of everything they'd been through in so many years. He would fight a million more space ninjas, endure _four _years of separation from Hunter, be exiled from 100 miles of his father, and face Tori's wrath a hundred fold if it meant he could always have times like this with Hunter—no matter how short. No matter how trivial. These were the little joys that only Hunter could bring.

Hunter brought him back to reality with a small, sensual kiss. With his bright blue eyes locking onto the rings of chestnut color in Dustin's eyes, he swore.

"And by the way," Hunter chimed in as he turned away to grab his shirt from the bed—Dustin watching Hunter's back in mild fascination—"you're a total drama queen."

"Bitch!" Dustin shouted, throwing Hunter's hated shirt at his face.

An hour later, the two of them perused the store slowly as Dustin looked for a shirt of Hunter's liking.

"I like you in yellow, babe, but…what about a new color?"

"Really?"

"Well…I mean…we're not rangers anymore—and I know it's our thing to wear our colors—but…" Hunter trailed off and leaned in closer. "I _really _like it when you wear my color."

Dustin shot a look of surprise at Hunter, his face seeming to say "you dare me to?"

Hunter nodded, reading Dustin's mind. "Come on."

"You are one lucky bastard, you know that?" Dustin joked.

In a flash of seriousness that was evident in how appreciative and almost bittersweet Hunter's eyes became, he said, "yeah…I do."

Smiling slightly, Dustin picked up the shirt and grabbed Hunter's hand, taking him to the dressing room.

And when they finally left the store, Dustin with an entirely new outfit, and Hunter with his coveted shoes (though, as he'd so technically pointed out to Dustin, they were boots for the cold weather they were experiencing), the two were now bubbling with excitement for their party.

"You know, we kind of suck as the engaged couple," Dustin joked from behind the steering wheel.

"I know, right; our wedding's in a month and we're _just now _having our engagement party," Hunter agreed, the light from the radio illuminating his hand in the otherwise dark vehicle.

"We are so slack."

"Hey, I think we're just unpredictable," Hunter shrugged. "Keep 'em guessing."

Dustin gripped the hand Hunter had on his thigh unconsciously. "You're retarded."

"Love you too, douche bag."

"Love you more, ass-hat."

_**[Let's Start Over]**_

"And so this genius starts freaking out about the fact that Tori's soap was for 'guuuuuuuuuurls,'" Dustin mocked.

Hunter laughed, rolling his eyes as the party guests about died. Even Tori seemed to thoroughly enjoy the story, despite the fact that it coincided with the night she'd broken up with Hunter. Time really _did _heal all wounds.

"I swear," Dustin continued as he sipped his drink, "you're gonna be taking care of _me _tonight."

Blake coughed exaggeratedly to the dismay of the special couple. He was met with a punch in the shoulder by Hunter, much to the confusion of Tori, Cam, and two friends Dustin had met through work.

"Just make sure you knock before you enter a house where two dating dudes live," the Asian man poked fun.

Tori chortled richly clinking her glass of wine with Dustin and Hunters' champagne. "Hey, even with Mikah crying all hours of the night, who says we're too old for a little nookie?"

"Here, here!" Dustin yelled, receiving an appreciatory look from his the blond man across from him as their glasses met.

The sound of silverware meeting a glass caught their attention as Shane, who was standing in the middle of the large circle of people—it was amazing how many people had joined their friends in the years that passed—readied himself for a speech.

"Alright, alright," the ex-red ranger announced, "I know we're supposed to leave the toasts for the wedding, _but_, since engagement parties are _supposed _to happen way before the wedding, I get to make two back-to-back speeches."

The crowd chuckled at the couple's expense as Dustin and Hunter looked around and nodded guiltily, shrugging.

"So, I've known these kids since they came to Blue Bay Harbor," Shane said, motioning to Blake and Hunter, "and we didn't always see eye-to-eye—especially the one getting married. Let me tell you, this guy is brutal. He'll kick your ass for looking at him wrong."

Again, the group of people interrupted with laughter, knowing it had been the truth.

"But in the years we've all been friends, he's calmed down quite a bit—and I think a lot of that has to do with the Dustman. Seriously, seriously; if you could think of two people who are _more _opposite then these two that can create a relationship as strong as theirs, I will _eat _this spoon."

In the silence that followed, Shane continued. "Exactly—looks like you're safe tonight, spoon—but on the real, these are two of the greatest people I know. Hunter might be intimidating as hell sometimes, but once he lets you into his inner circle, you're there for life—he'll have your back against an entire army, no joke. And Dustin? Dustin's been my best friend since I can remember, and he's seen me through more schoolyard brawls and teenage heartbreaks than most people even know. So to see these two, here after all this time and all this shit, it's incredible. If anyone deserves happiness, it's them. So, before anyone starts crying, let's raise these glasses, give a big cheer, and drink up their liquor!"

An applause erupted, Dustin unable to keep the bits of moisture that tickled his eye from clouding his vision. He clapped furiously, looking at Shane with more admiration than he thought he could feel for him.

"To Duster!" Shane barked out to the amusement of their guests, who repeated him and raised their glasses.

_**[We'll Try to Do It Right This Time Around]**_

If there was one thing that scared the ever-loving-shit out of Hunter, it was public speaking. He hated it with a passion, he hated making a spectacle, and he _hated _being emotional in front of people. So, for some crazy reason, he had forgotten he'd have to pour his heart out to Dustin in front of countless faces—many of whom he hardly knew.

"You look nervous as hell, bro," Blake commented, flicking Hunter's tie knot obnoxiously.

"People."

"What?"

"There are a lot of people," Hunter said, readjusting the knot.

"Dude, so what? We're all friends here."

"It's not that," Hunter said quickly. "It's the fact that I just don't do well with public speaking, you know that, dude. I hate it."

"Well…you gotta do it for Dustin," Blake nudged him. "You can do it."

Hunter groaned as he looked at himself in the mirror for about the 20th time. "This tie is way too tight."

"Bro, relax!"

"Bah!"

"You're just having premarital jitters, it's no big."

"Blake's right, you know," Cam said as he entered the room. "You should have seen me before my wedding. I was sweating bullets. I can't believe I'm saying this, but if it weren't for Marah and Kapri, I probably would have fainted."

Hunter sniggered nervously. "Well…what the hell do I do?"

Blake and Cam exchanged glances, and both headed toward a cabinet at the far corner of the room.

_**[It's Not Over]**_

Janie squealed excitedly as she jumped onto Dustin again. "I—am—so—excited!"

A choking sound escaped her little brother as she dismounted him, straightening his vest again. "Sorry, sorry."

"Did you bring your friends?" Dustin asked hopefully.

"A shit ton of them. You've got a huge wedding, just like you asked. I might have accidentally had some of the invitations intentionally accidentally lost?" she smiled slyly.

"What?"

"Well, you had some dickheads from high school on there, and I've seen some of them around—mainly at Wal-Mart or something—and they're all as fake as a 3-dollar bill."

Dustin nodded as he thought it over. "True."

"So, got your vows memorized?"

"Like I'd memorize what I'm gonna say to Hunter."

Janie smiled, "Yeah, guess that was a dumb question."

"I'm just gonna tell him straight-up, it's not hard. It helps that I actually mean it, too," he laughed.

"So, you still haven't told me about your honeymoon."

"That's cuz it's a secret."

"You've told me that part before," she moaned. "I wanna know the _real _stuff."

"Sorry, no can do."

"Why?"

"Hunter made me swear."

"Oh that's bull," she said angrily. "I'm your sister! I should be exempt from that rule."

"Sorry, sis," he sighed as he sat down. "Hey Tor, didn't you tell me Marah gave you a 'premarital drink' before you went up and tied the knot?"

Tori grinned as she stepped away from the mirror, pointing to a tall, thin cabinet in the corner. "I guarantee you it's already stocked."

"This is so surreal," Dustin said as he grabbed four bottles, handing one to Tori, one to Janie, and one to Shane. "Every time I've imagined this, you three are always right by my side."

"I get to take your last shot with you before you're no longer a single man," Shane kidded.

"Dude, I haven't been single in like, five years," Dustin retorted.

"You know what I mean."

"To Duster," Janie laughed, taking Shane's coined term, which had seemed to stick with their group of friends.

"To Duster," Dustin chimed in with his own merriment.

_**[Cuz a Part of Me Is Dead and In the Ground]**_

"So, today's the big day," Hunter said, staring at the ethereal pair before him. "I'm nervous as fuck."

"Don't be," Hunter's father, Matthew, remarked, "it'll be fine. Just get up there and tell him how you feel. You've done that before, right?"

"Well yeah, but…not in front of people."

"You should never be ashamed of your love, Hunter," said Amelia wisely. "You're among friends and family anyway; let the past pain go and focus on the future you have with this handsome young man."

Hunter beamed. "Thanks, guys."

"Remember, time passes differently here, you need to go," Matthew reminded him.

"Right, I love you guys. I'll talk to you later?"

"Sure thing son," his dad said.

"We love you too," replied Amelia kindly as they faded away.

Hunter stumbled backward, weary from the strain, but righted himself and smiled at Blake and Cam. "Guess it's show time, huh?"

"You ready?" asked Cam.

"As I'll ever be."

The three exited, Blake dropping the empty bottles in the trash bin and closing the door, giving a glance to the area his parents had supposedly been.

As they walked down the hall, Hunter tried his very best to block out the thoughts of doubt and fear in his mind. Dustin would never leave him. They were in love. These were things he knew. So why was he so afraid? Had it been in his nature to never let his guard down for fear of losing everything? For fear of his loss being ridiculed? He'd faced these fears, he thought. He'd won. He had Dustin. Nothing could change that, and the two had proven it only last year. The era he'd endured without Dustin seemed like a distant memory—one that was nearly two years old. They were solid. They were ready to do this. In the few fights they'd had since being re-engaged, nothing had ever driven them apart—the two were merely pushed closer together. And so, in a way, Shane's term for them had become fitting. They were Duster; one person, made of two, but separate only in their individuality. Funny; this had all started because Hunter wanted to see a checkbook.

He stopped and allowed Cam to walk ahead of Blake and him, watching the former green ranger take his post as part of the wedding party.

He knew that behind the altar—for it was in the center, dividing the room into along four different pathways in North, East, South, and West—Dustin would come from the opposite end and they would meet in the middle. Both of them were "brides," both of them were "grooms." God, Tori was a true genius when it came to things like this.

He saw Tori take her post with Shane as the other portion of the wedding party, and he anticipated Dustin's arrival with anxiety he'd never felt.

Finally, the music started.

They both, in a rhythm they'd practiced tirelessly, began their hike to the altar along with Janie at Dustin's side and Blake at Hunters. They were grinning largely at each other. Hunter's now short hair was raised a little in the front, as if spiked, and Dustin's shaggy-again hair was polished and swept to the side neatly. Hunter could see the sparkle of happiness behind Dustin's eyes, and instantly, his apprehension melted away. This was it.

And then the doors swung open. And curiosity filled the room. And heads turned. And some gasped. And some were shocked quiet. And some were furious. And some were expectant. Hunter was one of the furious.

At the entrance—to Hunter's left—was Jacob Brooks.

_**[This Love Is Killing Me, but You're the Only One]**_

The music finally stopped as Janie looked concernedly at her brother, who looked scared beyond belief. He had no idea what would happen. And then, slowly, Jacob made his way to Dustin. Janie let go of Dustin's arm and stepped in front of him, blocking her father from Dustin. But he merely outstretched his arms to her shoulders. She slowly moved to the side, her eyes never leaving his as she wondered what this could be. She hoped against hope this would not be a spectacle that would ruin her brother's one and only special day.

He stepped toward Dustin, standing in front of him quietly. And then he spoke.

"Dustin," he said shakily, "I…I can't apologize for my actions—not yet. I-I'm sorry for how I've acted, and I know this deep down, but I need to feel it completely before I can give you the apology you deserve."

The man's words were quiet, but in the acoustics of the large room, he wasn't hard to hear.

"I do know, though, that I am your dad, and always will be. And despite what I've indicated in the past…I do, and always will love you. No matter what choices you make or how you live your life. I can't make up for anything I've done in the past…but if you'll let me, I'd like to start building a better future."

He sighed deeply, obviously keeping back tears. "I…I want to be the one to, you know…give you…give you away." He sniffed and glanced at Hunter. "If you'll both let me, I want to be a part of this new family."

Dustin's face was already flushed with tears. He made no sound, but the tears on his face were evidence of the feelings he had.

"I'll always want you around, dad," he finally said. "But…but I want you and Janie by my side."

Janie smiled broadly, as their side of the family smiled and whispered at the change of events. It was far from perfect, and they knew this would be an ongoing struggle…but it was one they were willing to fight.

Janie handed Dustin the sash off her dress so he could wipe his eyes, and when he'd finished, he tied it stylishly around his arm and gave a teary laugh. "Alright, let's do this thing!"

The organist sighed, turned back to his instrument, and began playing once again. And then the electric guitars chimed in, followed by the drums, until the rock-inspired "Bridal March" filled the room loudly.

Tori couldn't help but smile to herself as her plans went off without a hitch. She thanked her lucky stars and looked to the ceiling—beyond it, to the sky—and whispered thanks to Lee, who Tori could have sworn had come to her in a dream. Mailing Jacob a second invitation had worked. And Tori knew Lee Brooks was crying with tears of joy in heaven.

And as the Notary spoke, and Dustin and Hunter stared into each others' eyes, the future became riddled with new possibilities—new hopes and dreams just waiting to be fulfilled. They'd endured hell, they'd fought back with the fury and courage of a thousand men, and they had won. And so Hunter said.

"And now, we feel like we're at the finish line, like we're waiting for a trophy at a moto race," he said, looking at not only Dustin, but the people in the room. "But…I don't think we've won."

Jacob frowned, as did many of the family members. But Dustin had faith in his almost-husband.

"This is just a checkpoint—the halfway mark—like we're starting a new race. And it's not just some game of passing our obstacles, it's more than that. It's taking the time to appreciate the race and to really value the present. No offense to anyone when they talk about futures," and he glanced at Jacob, "but I've been living in the future all my life—always looking at what's next. And now…now I just want the present to last forever. And my present is you. Honestly, Dustin, you're the best gift I could ever have…and I'll always remember that. I love you."

Dustin found it hard to fight back the tears. He'd promised himself he wouldn't cry at the altar. He and Hunter had joked about this. But he could hardly keep it back. He wanted to have some eloquent speech like Hunter had. He wanted to make clever plays on words about gifts and presents, but he could feel one thing—he loved Hunter. And words failed him.

Before they were even pronounced husband and husband, the moment overtook them as Dustin pulled his crimson tie over his neck, Hunter doing the same with his yellow one. They put them on each other, like they'd orchestrated, and literally tied them before kissing mildly but passionately for all to see. To the pure amusement of Janie, and Shane, and Blake, and Cam, and Tori, and anyone else who had known the phrase's significance, Dustin was only able to get out one thing.

"I fucking love you, you goddamned idiot."

_**[It's Not Over]**_

_** Fin**_

Three years, 22-weeks, 3-hours, and 4-minutes, and It's Now Over. Yes, now. This is the end of the _Verlieben, Vermissen, Vergehen, Verbinden_ series. It's been a long ride—one that makes me reflect on just how long it's truly been. I thank all of you, every single hit, review, and glance, for the inspiration you've given me on this story. I honestly feel like this ending has completely and purely summed up my feelings for all things relationship, and…I'm actually kind of teary eyed. I honestly hope that you love this story as much as I do, because I cannot begin to express how much this means to me. And now, it's finally over.

Thank you all again, from the bottom of literary heart!


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